Data released by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) concerning player registration bans revealed 1,297 bans on clubs from 109 countries worldwide, including 11 bans in Saudi Arabia affecting 8 clubs, according to the official player registration ban list and an analysis by "Al-Eqtisadiah".

The data showed Turkey topping the list of countries with the most registration bans at 252 cases, accounting for about 19.4% of the total bans registered globally.

Libya ranked second with 110 cases, representing 8.5% of the total number of cases, followed by Greece with 67 cases (5.2%).

Romania came in fourth place with 53 cases (4.1%), then China with 40 cases (3.1%).

Mon, 20 2026

5 Countries Account for 522 Registration Bans

The top 5 countries alone accounted for 522 registration bans, equivalent to 40.2% of the total cases included in the list, reflecting the concentration of the bulk of ban decisions in a limited number of national associations.

At the club level, Turkey's "Adana Demirspor" topped the list of clubs with the most registration bans with 33 cases.

"Ankaragucu" ranked second with 27 cases, followed by "Yeni Malatyaspor" with 25 cases, and "Altay" with 21 cases.

"Swift Hesperange" from Luxembourg came in fifth place with 18 cases.

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16 Arab Countries Record 232 Bans

In the Arab world, 16 countries recorded a total of 232 registration bans, led by Libya with 110 cases, accounting for 47.4% of total Arab cases.

Egypt ranked second with 18 cases (7.8%), followed by Morocco with 17 cases (7.3%).

As for Tunisia, it came in fourth place with 14 cases (6.0%), and Algeria with 13 cases (5.6%).

Saudi Arabia ranked sixth in the Arab world with 11 cases, representing 4.7% of total Arab cases, followed by Iraq with 10 cases.

Jordan recorded 9 cases, while Palestine recorded 8 cases, and Bahrain 7 cases.

The UAE recorded 5 cases, Sudan and Kuwait 3 cases each, Oman 2 cases, while Djibouti and Somalia each recorded one case.

Sun, 19 2026

The data showed 11 registration bans recorded against 8 Saudi clubs, led by Ohod with 3 cases, followed by Al-Tai with 2 bans.

Al-Safa, Al-Watan, Al-Riyadh, Al-Adalah, Al-Najoom, and Ittihad Al-Nusoor clubs each recorded one ban.

The sanctions varied between suspensions for a specific number of registration windows, and others lasting until the ban is lifted after fulfilling financial obligations or complying with decisions issued by FIFA.

The registration ban is considered one of the regulatory tools adopted by FIFA to ensure the implementation of rulings issued in financial and contractual disputes, as it prevents clubs from registering new players until outstanding obligations are settled or the sanction period expires.

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